Just over three months after leaving its long-time home on Manitoba Street, the Coulson Family Bracebridge Library inside the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre is ready to be unveiled. At 23,000 square feet it’s almost triple the size of the Carnegie Library building and features a wealth of new activities to complement the returning programs.
Bracebridge says the Coulson Family Bracebridge Library is anything but ordinary. The expanded space allows for new opportunities for the library to provide more programming to complement its existing activities. The new features include a recording studio, a makerspace with a 3D printer and laser printer among the other tools, a dedicated local history room, multiple spaces available to be booked by the public, and plenty of space for everyone who steps foot in the library to relax.
Crystal Bergstrome, CEO and Chief Librarian says library staff have spent countless hours ensuring everything is in place for opening day. “It’s no small feat that we’re only days away from opening and it’s a credit to the hard work of the library’s staff. The journey to get to this point has certainly been stressful, but it will all be worth it when we see patrons’ excited reactions when they step through our doors.”
An opening day celebration will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8th with activities for kids and tours throughout the day. Children’s programming will include a scavenger hunt that will take participants through the expanded youth area, drop-in stories during the day and crafts after school, along with decorative leaves for children to write their names on to be temporarily displayed.
The facility is located inside the Muskoka Lumber Community Centre at 34 Salmon Ave., behind Stevens’ Your Independent Grocer. Ahead of opening day, two book drops have been opened allowing patrons to return material they borrowed over the summer.
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